Maybe in another world.

Just a few weeks ago, he told those words to Tem when she asked if there was no chance for a truce between him and Poll. At that time, Eujae truly believed it was impossible for the two of them to be on good terms, unless maybe they were in an alternate reality. A different dimension where there is no bad blood between them.

Recent happenings since then made him doubt his own belief. Eujae reckoned Poll harbors an awful lot of hostility against him that perhaps even in a hundred different worlds, the guy would still despise him. Perhaps, there really was no parallel universe where they could bury the hatchet.

It turns out, all this time, they've been getting along just fine in a virtual world. In hindsight, Eujae had hit the nail on the head when he gave that particular answer to Tem. He and Poll could in fact be friendly with each other if it is anywhere other than the real world.

After discovering the truth behind Ten-Ten's identity earlier, Eujae did some stuff to compose himself. He made himself a quick dinner as he was too fazed to prepare a proper meal, and then took a cold shower. But for all that he did, nothing was able to steady his nerves.

Eujae goes back to the conversation with Ten-Ten, the last text still left unanswered, and notices there is a new message.

Ten2: how 'bout you? is there a special meaning behind gaele? is it inspired by that character from the movie you told me about before?

His lips curve into an impassive smile. As yet he doesn't know how to deal with this newly uncovered truth.

He can think of two ways to work around this situation. One of them is to sever his connection with Ten-Ten. That would be easy. All he had to do is to uninstall the application and forget about him as if their meeting in the gaming world never happened. He could pretend that Ten-Ten never existed.

But he can't. He doesn't have the heart to upset Ten-Ten, truth be told. Even now that he knows that, in reality, he's done that a couple of times to Poll.

He and Poll may have at odds with each other, but when all is said and done, he knows that all the concerns they have given each other as Gaele and Ten-Ten are genuine.

Eujae begins to type his reply, hoping he would not come across as distant.

Gaele: Not really. GAELE is an anagram of EAGLE.

While waiting for the reply, Eujae scrolls up to read their past conversations.

How ironic. He always thought he was doing something to make Ten-Ten feel better every time he was in a bad mood because of the guy he hates. As it is, he'd been the reason behind the temper all along. He'd been amused by Ten-Ten's rants, not knowing the person being secretly condemned was none other than him.

This situation would have been funny if only he was looking at it from an outsider's perspective. But since it is not the case, he can't bring himself to laugh it off.

Ten2: whoa, that sounds cool. does your real name also mean eagle?

Gaele: Sort of.

He has to be careful not to give himself away but he can admit that at least. There is no harm in revealing that little fact about his real name as he's pretty confident Poll won't be able to figure it out. It is not like he thinks Poll is slow when it comes to this stuff, but the truth is, the origin of his name is something that can't be found on the internet. It is not a puzzle that can be easily pieced together by anyone.

As Ten-Ten's reply arrives and he reads it, his hand stiffens around his phone, understanding the implication of the message.

Ten2: oh i'm sorry. i guess that was too personal

Shit.

He has been trying not to sound too stiff but it seems like he has subconsciously typed his answers as he would with someone he's indifferent with. He sighs. It's not easy to go back to what he used to be after knowing the whole truth after all.

Gaele: Oh god, no. It's not like that, Ten-Ten. I'm sorry if I sounded curt there.

As an afterthought, he sends another message, giving a brief explanation.

Gaele: It's just that something's bothering me today so I guess it's affected my mood.

Ten2: oh, wont you tell me about it?

Gaele: I'm sorry. I would if I could. But there's a reason why I can't. Just let me sort it out, alright? Don't worry though. It's not about you, Ten-Ten.

Lie. It has everything to do with Ten-Ten but it's not like Eujae can tell him that.

Ten2: oh, okay i see. then whatever it is, i hope it will be resolved soon

Gaele: I'm really sorry. And thank you. I hope so too.

I'm sorry. The apology sounds so easy to convey when they are Gaele and Ten-Ten. It would have been nice if it was also that simple in real life. If only it was the same for them as Eujae and Poll.

Ten2: no really there's no need for an apology. it's fine i understand

And if only the reality was that easy to understand.

Gaele: I'll have to log out for now, okay? Just have something important to do.

Ten2: yep sure. :) good night

Gaele: Good night.

As soon as his reply is sent, Eujae walks to his study table to open his laptop. He logs in to his desktop messaging app and goes over his contact list. He then chooses the one with the name Neil C. to send a message.

Hi, Pa, is it a good time? Can I video call you now?

He doesn't wait long to get an answer.

Of course, son. Let me just wait for your Ma so we can call you instead. They just finished the rehearsal so she'd be here in a minute.

Eujae sets up his headset while waiting for the call. After a couple of minutes, he hears the incoming call alert from his laptop. He clicks the accept button.

The screen fades to black for a split second, before it reveals a middle-aged couple.

Upon seeing them, Eujae instantly smiles. His parents, Neil Castillo and Elaine Herrera-Castillo, are always a picture of a beautiful couple every time he sees them together. Just looking at the image is enough to make Eujae feel better.

The older man is the first to greet, "Hey there, Little Chick. This is unusual for you to contact us this late and on a weekday to boot. You've made your Ma worried, you see."

With a gentle expression on his face, Eujae shifts his gaze to the woman in question. Indeed, she looks concerned.

"How can I not be worried?" His mother asks rhetorically, before turning to her husband. "This boy never called this late or on weekdays, always saying he doesn't want to bother us when he knows we're busy during those times. Are we not his parents? Why is he always thinking it's a bother for us if our only child wants to talk? And now he's suddenly calling at this hour. I'm sure something must be up."

"I just don't want to disturb your rest time, Ma," Eujae explains, speaking softly. "Even now, I know you're tired from rehearsal and here I am taking your time when you're supposed to be relaxing now. And hi, Pa." He looks at his father on the screen, his mouth quirking into a boyish grin. "I haven't heard that nickname in a while. I'm not little anymore though. By the way, I read the script for your new play and I have to say the story's really great. Then again, what do I expect from my favorite writer?"

Neil lets out a deep chuckle and then looks at his son in amusement. "You really learned how to flatter well, young man. And no, of course, you're not little anymore but you will always be my and your Ma's youngling, no matter what."

With a sigh, Elaine adds to her husband's statement, "Yet this child has been living so independently from us." She turns to her son, smiling faintly. "Don't get me wrong though, honey. I'm grateful to have a child as considerate as you. I am, but sometimes I wish you didn't grow up this fast."

Eujae returns his mother's affectionate smile. He is aware that his parents still feel bad for leaving their only child alone to continue building up their original dreams, although he was already eighteen when they went away to start their own touring theatre. And it wasn't even that they suddenly decided without considering their son. In fact, it was Eujae who made the decision for them, the one who pushed them to go back to sharing their passion with other people.

Choosing to be independent after graduating from high school was just an excuse. He only came up with the decision so he won't hold his parents back. Eujae wanted his father to write play scripts and his mother to perform on stage again. The theatre is the place where, he believes, his parents truly belong. It was a dream they once gave up when they had Eujae and it is a dream that Eujae wants to return to them now that he can take care of himself.

"Now tell us what's troubling you, honey. And I won't buy it if you tell me it's nothing. I know that face."

Eujae snaps out of his reverie and returns his attention to his mother. Grinning, he answers, "Of course, Ma, you should know. You and Pa created this face after all."

"Why are you so cheeky, child?" Elaine asks, lifting an elegant brow. "And I have to say, what a masterpiece we've created. So? What got you so troubled, young man?"

For a moment, Eujae pauses to contemplate. When he contacted his parents earlier, it was merely out of impulse. He was too perplexed that he wanted to do something that could help him clear his mind. That was when he felt like seeking comfort from his parents. After all, they have always been his biggest pacifiers. They may have believed Eujae has matured too fast for his own good, but at the end of the day, he's still a child who's easy to read in front of them.

Much as he wants to handle the problem on his own, Eujae knows that he'd make his mother feel worse if he doesn't open up as it would seem like he doesn't trust them at all. Not to mention, he too would feel terrible lying to them.

In the end, he tells them the story about his schoolmate who has hated him from the get-go for some unknown reason, and the friend he met in a gaming app. He tells them about the petty fights with Poll and the fun conversations he had with Ten-Ten, but leaves out the names and some details like the kiss. He wraps it up by letting his parents know about his discovery that those two are the same person and admitting how he's at loss because of this ludicrous situation.

"So what are you planning to do?" his mother asks afterward. "Do you want to tell that schoolmate of yours the truth that you're also his online friend?"

"He has to know eventually. But I don't think it's a good idea to tell him the truth now," Eujae answers honestly, "That guy is so quick-tempered that I'm afraid he won't take it sitting down, especially considering how he feels about me."

Elaine hums thoughtfully and then turns to her husband. "What do you think?"

"Well I can think of a few things you can do about this situation but it depends on what matters to you more," Neil tells his son, "The easiest way, to be honest, is to abandon your online world and pretend that friend of yours never existed."

"I've thought of that too, Pa. But there's no way I am going to do it."

The couple gives their son a knowing look, something that Eujae is very familiar with.

"No, you won't," his mother says as if they'd known his answer from the start, "Because while it's true that you adore him as your virtual friend, it seems to us that even in real life, you care for him more than you let on."

"That's..." Eujae trails off as he thinks of something to refute his mother. He winds up with an excuse instead. "I mean, he's my friend's brother and Lia's close friend after all. It's not like I give a damn about him because I want to."

Elaine shrugs. "If you say so," she says, sounding like she believes her son, but her expression is telling otherwise.

"So you don't want to give up your online friendship with him," Neil joins in the conversation, "There's something else you can do about it. Since you don't have any problem getting along in a virtual world, why don't you test if it's going to work in real life too? Why don't you try to get to know him more personally?"

Eujae is quiet for a moment. He's thought about it too, but there is one big problem with the idea. It is the fact that he doesn't know where to begin. There is no way he can just walk up to Poll and suddenly offer reconciliation after all the fights they've had through the years. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Oh, that's easy." Elaine beams. "For starters, you should apologize."

"I don't think it's really that easy, Ma. I mean, I'm pretty sure that guy would not even spare me some time to listen."

Eyes filled with interest, Elaine tilts her head to the side. "You say that, but have you tried?" Her expression and tone soften as she stares at her son. "If you don't actually apologize to him, how would you know?"

The question brings Eujae back to the last conversation he had with Ten-Ten before he discovered the whole truth. That time, without knowing he was talking with Poll, Eujae asked if there was a chance Ten-Ten would accept it if the guy he hates apologized to him.

The answer then wasn't outright negative.

How would I know if it hasn't happened?

It only means there's a chance—little though it may seem.

Eujae heaves a resigned sigh. Maybe from the start, he's known what he truly wants to do. And he's just been looking for a little push to act on it. "Fine. I'll try," he whispers.

A smile slowly spreads over his mother's lips. "That's our young eagle."